June 02, 2023

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 6/2

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

if you want a hot new release

renfield

Vincent Georgie: To Nicolas Cage’s credit, he’s never dull. Not even close. In this energetic, stylish and (finally) well-written film, Cage is having a campy ball. Leading an appealing cast including Nicholas Hoult and Shohreh Aghdashloo, Cage and company make this well worth the watch.

Synopsis: Renfield, the tortured aide to his narcissistic boss, Dracula, is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding. However, after centuries of servitude, he’s ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want something lighthearted

bathtubs over broadway

Vincent Georgie: Certainly a moment in the culture that I was never aware of, take a chance on this film and fall in love with some of the most ridiculous product-endorsing ballads you’ve ever heard. The film, as opposed to being cynical, has a giant warm heart. Starring 20-time Emmy Nominee Steve Young (The Late Show with David Letterman; The Simpsons). A fave from WIFF 2018.

Synopsis: Writer Steve Young tracks down composers, performers, and unseen footage of rare industrial musicals created by corporations such as McDonald’s and General Electric.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

if you want the best of the best

chinatown

Vincent Georgie: Nearly 50 years later, this one is still the masterpiece that it was hailed to be. If it’s still on your list of major films to see, the time to see it is now. If it’s been a while since you’ve checked it out, I can assure you that Nicholson and Dunaway are still in their best form here.

Synopsis: When Los Angeles private eye J.J. “Jake” Gittes is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to investigate her husband’s activities, he believes it’s a routine infidelity case. Jake’s investigation soon becomes anything but routine when he meets the real Mrs. Mulwray and realizes he was hired by an imposter. Mr. Mulwray’s sudden death sets Gittes on a tangled trail of corruption, deceit and sinister family secrets as Evelyn’s father becomes a suspect in the case.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

ridiculous comedies

There is a particular joy in watching the 80s creative partnership of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker craft laugh-a-minute sight gag and line riff classics over the course of the decade. Funny is funny, as it turns out to be. If you want some hilarious abandon on a warm weekend, revisit these two laugh machines.

airplane!

This spoof comedy takes shots at the slew of disaster movies that were released in the 70s. When the passengers and crew of a jet are incapacitated due to food poisoning, a rogue pilot with a drinking problem must cooperate with his ex-girlfriend turned stewardess to bring the plane to a safe landing.

Available on iTunes, Amazon Prime and YouTube.

airplane II: the SEquel

Though haunted by combat memories, heroic pilot Ted Striker agrees to return to the cockpit to man the controls of Mayflower One, America’s first commercial spacecraft. But, as soon as Mayflower One lifts off, an electrical malfunction sends the ship veering off course. A shaken Striker struggles to guide the shuttle through a treacherous asteroid belt, tame its failing computer systems and stop the disgruntled Joe Seluchi from detonating a deadly bomb on board.